Network Upgrades and Forks
Documents protocol-wide activations, hard forks, and network version bumps that alter core consensus, indexing rewards, cryptographic dependencies, or the arbitration lifecycle. Operators, indexers, and delegators must track these changes to avoid slashing, maintain allocation strategies, and ensure their infrastructure remains compatible. Distinct from governance proposals, this group covers the technical execution and activation requirements of approved changes.
The Graph Mainnet Launch and Genesis
Documents the initial protocol parameters, token distribution mechanics, and bootstrapping phase that transitioned The Graph from a hosted service to a decentralized protocol. Covers the foundational smart contract deployment, initial indexer set formation, and genesis allocation rules that all subsequent upgrades build upon. Operators and protocol architects should understand these base-layer assumptions when evaluating upgrade compatibility and economic model changes.
The Graph Arbitrum L2 Migration
Analyzes the architectural shift of core protocol contracts (staking, curation, delegation) from Ethereum mainnet to Arbitrum One. Covers the bridging mechanism, state migration process, new activation requirements for indexers and delegators, and the operational changes needed to interact with the protocol on an L2. Indexers, delegators, and exchange teams integrating GRT need to understand the new transaction submission flow, gas cost implications, and finality assumptions.
Horizon Upgrade Series
Documents the protocol-wide activation of the Horizon phase, introducing Substreams-powered subgraphs as a new data service type alongside traditional subgraphs. Covers the new smart contract modules, parallel query execution capabilities, indexing data pipeline changes, and the technical requirements for indexers to support this new service. Indexers must understand the co-existence logic, reward calculations, and infrastructure scaling demands introduced by this upgrade.
Sunbeam Upgrade and Subgraph Ownership Transfer
Examines the protocol activation that enabled a more decentralized and flexible subgraph ownership model, including ownership transfer to multi-sigs or DAOs. Details the technical changes to the curation and publishing lifecycle, the new smart contract permissions model, and the implications for subgraph developers managing upgrade keys. Builder teams and curators need to understand how this changes subgraph security assumptions and upgrade workflows.
Substreams-Powered Subgraphs Protocol Activation
Deep-dive into the specific protocol changes that activated Substreams-powered subgraphs on the decentralized network. Covers the new smart contract modules for this data service type, indexer reward calculation changes, proof-of-indexing requirements for Substreams-based data, and the co-existence logic with traditional subgraph indexing. Indexers need this to configure their infrastructure and allocation strategies for the new service type.
Indexing Rewards Function Overhaul
Analyzes the major mathematical and economic changes to how indexing rewards are calculated and distributed across the network. Covers the shift from a fixed pool to a dynamic, performance-based model (such as the Cobb-Douglas function), detailing the new parameters indexers must optimize for, the impact on allocation strategies, and how delegators should evaluate indexer performance under the new regime. Risk teams and large delegators need this to reassess expected returns.
Arbitration Lifecycle and Slashing Terms Upgrade
Documents a protocol-wide change to the dispute resolution process for indexers. Covers the activation of new slashing percentages, challenge periods, multi-round arbitration procedures, and the role of arbitrators in the updated lifecycle. Indexers must understand the new penalty structure and response timelines to avoid slashing; consumers and delegators need this to assess data reliability guarantees.
Curation Signal and Query Fee Economics Activation
Examines the network upgrade that activated the query fee marketplace, moving The Graph beyond a purely rewards-based incentive model. Details the technical changes to state channels or similar payment mechanisms, curator signal weighting in the query market, and how indexers cryptographically prove query service to receive payments. Gateway operators, indexers, and dApp teams consuming subgraph data need to understand the new cost and payment flow.
Multi-Chain Indexing Protocol Activation
Documents the upgrade that generalized The Graph protocol's indexing capabilities beyond Ethereum, activating support for indexing multiple L1s and L2s. Covers the new proof-of-indexing requirements for non-Ethereum chains, the operational changes for indexers running multi-chain infrastructure, and the implications for subgraph developers targeting multiple networks. Indexers and infrastructure teams need this to plan multi-chain deployment and resource allocation.
Proof-of-Indexing Cryptographic Upgrade
Analyzes a critical security-focused hard fork or network upgrade that changed the hashing algorithm or data structure of the Proof-of-Indexing (POI). Covers the migration path for existing POIs, new verification requirements for consumers and gateways, and the operational steps indexers must take to regenerate proofs under the new scheme. Data consumers relying on POI for integrity verification need to update their validation logic.
Graph Node Mandatory Version Bump and Protocol Activation
Documents a recurring pattern where a specific graph-node software release is tied to a protocol-wide activation at a defined block height. Covers the new features, breaking API changes, deprecated endpoints, and the deadline by which all indexers must upgrade their infrastructure to avoid slashing or reward penalties. Indexers, gateway operators, and dApp teams consuming subgraph APIs need to coordinate their upgrade timelines.
Firehose and Substreams Dependency Upgrade
Covers a protocol upgrade that made Firehose or Substreams a mandatory dependency for indexing certain high-throughput chains on The Graph network. Details the new infrastructure requirements for indexers (additional services, storage, bandwidth), the new data-sourcing capabilities unlocked, and the sunset timeline for legacy indexing methods on affected chains. Indexers must assess whether their current infrastructure can support the new requirements.
Testnet Upgrade Activation History and Pre-Mainnet Validation
Chronological log of all protocol upgrades activated on The Graph's official testnet environments (including Arbitrum Sepolia). Serves as the primary resource for indexers to test their infrastructure, allocation strategies, and client compatibility before mainnet activation. Covers the testnet activation sequence, known issues discovered during testnet phases, and the recommended validation procedures for each upgrade type.
Mainnet Upgrade Activation Simulation and Dry-Run Guide
Practical guide for indexers and delegators to simulate the effects of a major protocol upgrade locally or on testnet before mainnet activation. Covers how to validate reward calculations under new economic parameters, test allocation strategy changes in a sandboxed environment, and verify infrastructure compatibility with new protocol rules. Operators should use this to reduce downtime risk and avoid unexpected slashing or reward loss during activation.